These virtual experiences, while impressive, didn't seem to find their place in our normal, everyday lives. If you are past elementary school, there really is no reason for you to spend half a day taking a virtual tour of the Louvre. For a long time, it felt like surveying these virtual tours was akin to browsing the Wikipedia page of an upcoming movie. Why spoil the experience with a watered-down version of the real thing? The whole point of museums and national parks and adventures is to go outside and no virtual tour, however elaborate, will ever replace that.

Google Arts & Culture is a great resource for any art fan (with limited access to art with over 2,500 museums) and it's especially handy for those who rely on a quiet museum visit to gather their thoughts. There you'll find comprehensive tours of popular destinations like the Uffizi Gallery in Florence and London's Tate Modern (if you think you hate museums, start with the Tate!).

Think of a normal Google Earth tour of a block, only every picture perfectly captures the street art of everywhere from Buenos Aires, Argentina to Malmo, Sweden and an art expert's audio tour plays in the background as you scroll through all the images. These virtual walking tours are perfect for those who love art but hate the establishment.

Do you want to know what exactly is going on in Times Square, right this second? Wouldn't it be nice to stream a panoramic view of Paris during the workday?

The National Parks Service partnered with Google (yes, Google again) to follow a handful of park rangers through some of Americ's most stunning and challenging terrains, from the Alaskan Glaciers to Utah's Bryce Canyon.

At the state level, a handful of conservation efforts have developed virtual tours of some of America's most emblematic landscapes. Start with the Nature Conservancy of Oklahoma's virtual field trip - you have to see for yourself just how soothing these views can be. Sit by a sunny window and let our eyes feast on clear blue skies, red clay formations, and fields of wildflowers. For a Google-free walk among the trees, the National Parks Service has a very robust virtual tour of Yellowstone National Park: the park has nine webcams strewn about, one of which has a Livestream feed.

But you're here to see stunning images of outer space. NASA's lesser-known specialty is visualization (where scientists work with graphic designers and artists to come up with the most accurate depiction of what they're studying). The TRAPPIST-1 system is home to seven Earth-sized exoplanets that look very cool. You can learn about how our understanding of these planets changes with every new discovery in this 360 YouTube experience. But if you want colorful stars and planets, check out the Exoplanet Travel Bureau.

Virtual dives are a trippy affair and thanks to the National Marine Sanctuaries, you can explore the blue depths of the American Samoas, the Florida Keys, Monterey Bay, and many others. For real-time adventures, check in with the New England Aquarium to see live feeds of the marine life they take care of.

COVID-19 has been declared a global pandemic. Go to the CDC website for the latest information on symptoms, prevention, and other resources.
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